Bike thieves are changing up their tactics

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Police Department doesn't keep track of bicycle thefts, but overall larceny and theft offenses, according to their crime stats page, are down slightly compared to this time last year.

Nonetheless, bicycle thefts in Uptown continue and the criminal M.O. has been evolving.

At an establishment like Flanders Cycle on Lyndale, the story of bike thefts in Uptown is a tale as old as time.

"Every day, someone gets a bike stolen," Flanders manager Adrian Contreres said. Though he said recently, tactics have changed.

"Starting in '19, it escalated to glue in locks," he said. "Truckloads of people clipping locks and stealing larger numbers of bikes at a moment."

He's referring to jamming bike locks with some sort of glue in the keyhole, so the owners would leave.

"Your key no longer works, so you head home to figure it out or come back the next day," he said. "And they come back in the cover of darkness and cut [the lock] with a side cutter or some other implement."

Contreres said perpetrators usually hit multiple bikes and locks along the way.

"Yup, they steal all the bikes that they blocked up," he said.

And while there is no perfect solution, some are better than others.

"The Kryptonite New York lock is about the lock of locks to secure your items," Contreres explained. "If you have an expensive e-bike, scooter, motorcycle, that is what you need."

In contrast, locks with combinations or coils are the easiest to break into.

By now, Contreres said most bike owners in Uptown know the risks and the proper drill when it comes to locking up.

"They're a little more vigilant about it," he said. "They don't leave it out overnight, they lock it up wherever it's at. And they try to keep eyes on their bicycles."

It's also good bike ownership practice to register your bike if you purchase a new one and check if your homeowner's insurance or renter's insurance might cover it in case it does get stolen.

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